Cantor Fitzgerald extends footprint with Puerto Rico office
Global financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. announced Tuesday the opening of its new local office, expanding its footprint to Puerto Rico for the first time in 65 years.
Joaquin Iglesias, formerly of Oriental Financial Services and Carlos Ramos, formerly of the Puerto Rico Retirement System Administration, will head operations for the new office located in the Atrium Business Center in Puerta de Tierra, which is focused on serving institutional clients in fixed income sales and trading.
“Iglesias and Ramos are great additions to our team and bring strong local market experience and extensive industry relationships,” said Shawn P. Matthews, CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. “Their presence will significantly broaden our reach and enhance our ability to serve this growing market, providing our clients with deep market intelligence and unparalleled service.”
The global financial services firm has been in business since 1945 and has its headquarters in New York. The company was one of the hardest hits by the attacks of 9/11, losing two-thirds of its workforce as a result of the terrorist incident.
In Puerto Rico, the operation will put together a group of executives to extend the company’s reach into the island’s investment banking, asset management and brokerage services market. Cantor’s local office will join more than 30 locations around the world and approximately 1,400 employees.
“We are excited to be part of Cantor Fitzgerald. One of the premier firms in the global fixed income markets, Cantor clearly is well positioned for continuing rapid growth globally and in key markets,” said Iglesias and Ramos in a joint statement. “We’re committed to helping drive the success of the firm in the Puerto Rican marketplace.”
Prior to joining Cantor, Iglesias served as vice president and senior investment specialist at Oriental Financial Services, participating in its institutional sales initiative. He began his career at the Government Development Bank for Puerto Rico where he was vice president and treasurer. He subsequently took the position of senior vice president at Lehman Brothers/Barclays Capital where he helped develop the firm’s institutional platform. He has also served as a vice president at Prudential Securities/Wachovia Capital Markets.
Iglesias holds a BBA from the University of South Florida and is a graduate of the Banking and Financial Services Executive Program from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
Ramos, meanwhile, most recently served as chief investment officer of the Puerto Rico Retirement System Administration, after his tenure as vice president at Lehman Brothers/Barclays Capital’s Institutional Client Group where he helped structure and grow the firm’s operations in Puerto Rico. He has also served as a vice president of institutional sales at Prudential Securities/Wachovia Capital Markets and a retail investment advisor at Dean Witter.
Ramos holds a BBA in Management from the University of Puerto Rico’s Bayamón campus and a Master’s Degree in Finance from the Ana G. Méndez University System’s Cupey campus.
